Photo: architectural monuments, temples and places of worship, abbeys and monasteries, Marfo-Mariinsky Convent, Moscow

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Marfo-Mariinsky Convent - a monastery with a special way of life

Architectural Monuments • Temples and places of worship • Abbeys and Monasteries

In 1909 the widowed Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna Romanova arranged the women's Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. She chose a place for it on Bolshaya Ordynka. Later the Cathedral of the Intercession was built near the estate. The sisters of the convent engaged in charitable and medical work, opened a hospital, a pharmacy, a shelter and a free eating house. The sisters pinned a box to the outer wall of the convent, into which any person could throw a note and ask for help. For a year the number of such requests exceeded 12 thousand. In 1918 Elizabeth Feodorovna was arrested and the convent was closed.

The revival of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent began only in the 90s. Now the convent has an orphanage for orphans, a charitable canteen, a memorial museum of the Grand Duchess and a visiting children's palliative service. Anyone who has ever been to the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent marks an amazing silence that seems to crystallize within the walls of the monastery. This prayerful place is especially picturesque in summer, when the nursery garden blossoms, the fountain gurgles and birds sing. Every day for all those interested in the convent they organize small excursions with a visit to the main temple and the house where Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna lived. Here one can see her personal belongings, letters, books and photos. In the main temple of the convent - the Pokrovsky Cathedral, built according to the project of the famous architect of the early 20th century Alexey Shchusev, the murals of the beginning of the century by Mikhail Nesterov and Pavel Korin have been preserved. Despite the fact that more than a hundred years have passed since the foundation of the convent, it still has an atmosphere of tranquility and peace.

Marfo-Mariinsky Convent - a monastery with a special way of life

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